Missing kit??

[FourRingCircus]

I had a kit disappear! Vanish! Gone!

There were 6, now there are 5. I first just thought it was hiding behind the nest box. Then I figured maybe it was up against the front of the hutch when I opened it and didn't see it. No where to be found. I don't know if it somehow wiggled it's way out and was then a meal for one of the dogs or cats? Or if I have a snake coming around? The hutches were built by someone else (I bought them used) and they just have chicken wire on the front and back... There is a 2x4 around the base so I thought it would be tall enough, but maybe not? I know I need to replace or cover it with something smaller and sturdier, but I guess I was too late . Any other ideas? I am guessing that at 2 weeks old if one died the mom wouldn't clean it up like with a NB. I did have one very runty one (the entire litter varies drastically in size)... I thought it was eating OK, but maybe something else was wrong with it?

 

[Zass]

I'm sorry a kit vanished. That has happened to me just once.
I never saw a trace of it after it vanished.

Hmm... I don't think a normal 2 week old kit would be able to escape through chicken wire, unless there was a larger hole torn in it.

Maybe it managed to get out when the hutch door was opened?
Or maybe a predator like a coon, opossum, or bird of prey managed to take it right through the wire? I had something do that to 4 of my quail this year. I would have thought the wire would have broken, but nope, fully intact bloody wire. Nothing left of the quail's body, somehow it got them all past the wire without breaking it. Horror movie type stuff there.

Did you, by chance, dig to the bottom of the nestbox and sort through all the material very carefully?

 

[FourRingCircus]

I checked what nest materials were left... it's pretty sparse at this point. I pulled the whole nest box out... counted a nd recounted the ones that were in it. So weird!!

 

[alforddm]

I had this happen a while back but it was my fault. I left the cage door open overnight. (All my cage doors open up so that they swing shut on their own for this very reason but he managed to get out anyway.) When I went out the next morning I could have swore I was missing one but I looked all over and never saw it. I thought maybe I had just miscounted as I had several litters around the same size and figured I had just mixed up my numbers. It was a full three weeks before I ever saw the little bugger and a few days after that I managed to catch it.

 

[macksmom98]

He survived out on his own for 3 weeks?!?!?! Wow, that's a neat story

 

[alforddm]

He survived out on his own for 3 weeks?!?!?! Wow, that's a neat story

It was four weeks old I think when it got out but yeah it did fine on it's own. Was only slightly smaller than it's siblings and not skinny at all when I caught it.

I have another one that has been loose for months. This one was the kid's fault. They left the grow out cage open. I caught the other three but never could catch this one. :lol: :x I thought for sure the hounds would catch him/her but it's taken up residence beneath an old house that is used for storage and the dogs can't get under there. He comes up at night and eats some of the plants out of the garden. I should probably think about setting a live trap for him now that it's starting to get cooler. I doubt it can last on it's own through the winter, although it could surprise me. We do have lots of acorns.

It might also matter that both of these rabbits are dark colored. The one that has been lose the longest is chocolate and the baby that was loose and I caught was black.